Understanding the messages of the body
“You should never forget that you are the most important person in your life. Your own inner balance determines the balance of your environment, family and social network.”
Jean-Pierre Barral, the developer of Visceral Manipulation, authored several books on that subject, but the book that this blog post is based on is a little different. Rather than being the usual textbook intended for therapists, this book is intended for people who are not necessarily familiar with the methods of visceral manipulation. The main premise is to make understandable what messages we might be getting from our bodies before we get sick. The book’s aim is to bring forth an understanding of our bodies without fear. If we recognise the messages, we can act early, usually way before we get ill. The book is based on Jean-Pierre Barral’s extensive research and decades of clinical practice as an osteopath and physiotherapist. It is a very empowering approach that I have used myself and recommend to those of my clients who are open to it.
There is an interesting relationship between our organs and our emotions. Sometimes, I see patients for whom treating the organ isn’t enough; usually it is because of an emotional component of ‘tension’ in the body that has not been addressed. In other cases, it’s the other way around: we treat the organ and then old emotions come up to the surface, ready to be processed. Jean-Pierre Barral encourages us not be afraid of our bodies and their reactions by expressing the emotions that come up in such situations. Sometimes, they can be messages that we can use in specifying the support that we might need. I invite you to read this little summary as an interesting aid in raising awareness of your own body and its needs.
Each chapter of the book contains basic information about one organ, its function, main symptoms it can produce when it’s in trouble, emotions related to it, and advice on how to support it in a physical, emotional and nutritional sense.
I am going to keep the same structure here in order to tell you a little bit of what it’s all about. If you find it interesting, I wholeheartedly recommend buying the book for further information.
THE LUNGS
The lungs are very well protected by our bodies. They are enveloped in pleura and completely covered by our rib cage. We breathe approximately fourteen times a minute, which gives us on average six hundred million breath cycles throughout a life. The lungs are all about communication with the outside world. They provide protection from potential intruders coming in through our nose and windpipe. In utero the baby’s lungs are filled with water. Only after birth, once the umbilical cord is cut, does the baby’s first breath fill the lungs with air.
Symptoms that might be related to the lungs:
Difficulty breathing accompanied by bouts of involuntary and out of character aggressiveness might be the sign of excess of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Unusual coughing
Bluish-grey skin colour, especially under the nails
Fatigue, lack of energy
Noisy breathing
Emotions that might be related to the lungs:
‘Lung people’ are those that present with their lungs as a weak link in their system. They often oscillate between the feeling of too much and not enough, not being able to get it quite right. The feeling of not enough would present itself as fear, withdrawal, phobias, anxiety of bothering people, passive attitude, and the tendency to stand back. The feeling of too much might appear as taking too much space or not letting others to express themselves. People with weak lungs might be exceptionally hard on themselves, challenging their psyche and their bodies, often going against their own nature.
‘Lung people’ might lack self-confidence — they either dominate or fear being dominated. They also might fear confrontation and need strong people to rely upon and be reassured. If our lungs don’t work properly we might become quite rigid in our views, and harbour a lot of suppressed feelings. Our childhood fears might still be firmly present in our adult life. Asthmatic people often oscillate between the feelings of fatalism and rebellion with vivid imagination that helps to escape reality.
Physical support for the lungs:
Brisk walking, cross-country running, cycling, swimming and stretching - at least once a week for two hours
Learning to control the breath
Avoid putting yourself under pressure to improve things; this will only lead to anxiety. Start your new activities gently and gradually
Avoid smoking and polluted places
Beware of air-conditioning, especially after a period of it not being used
Avoid spaces that are freshly varnished or painted
Have you spine checked to remove all the blockages that might affect the lungs
Nutritional support for the lungs:
Avoid putting on weight
Avoid overburdening your liver with chocolate and alcohol
Psychological support for the lungs:
Psychotherapy to help with anxieties and phobias
Relaxation techniques
Yoga
THE HEART
The heart is a very powerful pump made up of strong muscle tissue. Usually the size of your own fist, the heart beats on average seventy times per minute.
Symptoms that might be related to the heart:
Irregular heartbeat
Feeling out of breath without reason
Tightness in the chest
Pain between shoulder blades and down the right arm
Pain in the jaw
A stitch that doesn’t go away
Sudden feeling of anguish
Vertigo and a feeling of floating
Extremely pale complexion
Emotions that might be related to the heart:
Fear of not being loved
Excessive attachement
The need of symbiosis that leads to losing yourself
Fear of being abandoned, judged
Distrust
Guilt
Hatred
Fear as a reaction
Physical support for the heart:
Train the muscle to work efficiently with a warm-up and gradually intensified exercise
Stretch your torso to release the rib cage and create sufficient space for the heart
Avoid tightening your shoulders when working at your desk
Walk as much as you can
Nutritional support for the heart:
Stop smoking
Investigate what healthy foods you can introduce to your diet, i.e., fibre. Eat foods like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, carrots, lentils, white beans, watercress, grapefruit, melon, peaches, apples, prunes
Avoid cooked fats, excessive sugar, alcohol, cold cuts, cream, ice-cream and salt
Use good quality olive oil
Support your heart psychologically:
Avoid confrontation if you are feeling tense
Learn to round your back with yoga or other forms of exercise
Dance, sing, move to bring about muscle relaxation
THE LIVER
The liver is a reflection of our deeper self and emotions. It’s the most busy organ in the body, with more than 500 known functions.
Symptoms that might be related to the liver:
Headaches
Eyesight problems
Oily hair and dandruff
Hypersensitive skin
A white coating on your tongue
Bad breath
Excessive perspiration with unpleasant smell
Hypersensitivity to smells
Hypersensitive gums
Irritated mucous membranes
Dark coloured urine
Fatigue that is disproportional to activity levels
Insomnia or sleep without a feeling of rest
Vertigo
Digestive problems
Emotions that might be related to the liver:
These can range from low self-esteem, bad moods, pessimism, and strong attachment to routine, to lack of fighting spirit, lack of creativity, feelings of insecurity, and fits of anger.
Physical support for the liver:
Help your body with eliminating toxins by using sauna or Turkish bath on regular basis
Watch the medications that you take as some might be toxic
Nutritional support for the liver:
Enjoy fried foods, cheese, chocolate, cooked fats and alcohol, in moderation
Increase your consumption of water and decrease the consumption of alcohol
Decrease consumption of sulphites in food and drinks
Drink half a glass of grapefruit juice before breakfast
Eat fruits like mango, berries, papaya, fresh pineapple, guava, peaches
Add vegetables to your diet, i.e., aubergine, carrots, celery, cabbage, turnips, onion, leeks, lamb’s lettuce, artichokes, fennel, red and black radish
Eat organic eggs and buttermilk
Increase consumption of sour foods
Choose a good quality extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil and sometimes mix it with canola oil
Eat fatty fish, i.e., salmon, mackerel, sardines
Psychological support for the liver:
Work with your mind to try to focus on the positive
Recall happy events in your life, the good characteristics in your personality, pleasant sensations
Connect with people who have a positive attitude to life and try to avoid people who bring you down
Avoid stressful situations
Focus on noticing tension whilst doing everyday activities and try to do them calmly instead of rushing or testing up.
THE GALLBLADDER
Situated under the liver, the gallbladder is a storage space for the bile produced by the liver.
Symptoms that might be related to the gallbladder:
Heaviness or stitch under the right side of the ribs
Neck pain that starts on the left side and then spreads to the whole neck
Hypersensitivity to smells and photosensitivity
Nausea
Feeling repelled by fatty foods
Digestion problems half an hour after eating
Headaches during weekends when work pressures are not present
Irritability
Emotions that might be related to the gallbladder:
Constant pre-occupation
Hypersensitivity and hyperactivity
Fear of all conflicts and confrontations, however small
Fear of travel
Fear of exams
Extreme punctuality
Physical support for the gallbladder:
Breathing exercises
Massaging the gallbladder
See a Visceral Manipulation Therapist to release the tensions around the gallbladder
Nutritional support for the gallbladder:
Avoid the following foods:
Chocolate
Cooked cream
Sulfur preservatives
Psychological support for the gallbladder:
Take time to prepare for your journeys and changes to your life to avoid last-minute stress
If you already feel tense, try to avoid conflict
THE STOMACH
The stomach is located on the left side of our abdomen, just below the ribs. It is the biggest organ of our digestive system, and its function focuses on changing what we eat to something that our body can absorb.
Symptoms that might be related to the stomach
Acidic breath, especially in the morning and in the afternoon
Cramps under the left ribs around 4 or 5 in the morning
Acid reflux
Heaviness, feeling full too quickly and too often
Burping that gives only a brief relief
Digestive problems after eating sugary foods or drinking alcohol
Dislike for belts or clothes that are tight around the waist
Difficulty keeping your arms overhead and lying down on the front of your body
Emotions that might be related to the stomach:
‘Stomach people’ might experience social situations as especially stressful. If we are described as someone with a ‘strong stomach’ it means that we can take a lot and push ourselves past difficulties. Weakness in this area might mean that we are simply not able to stand up for ourselves and act as courageously as we could. We might experience unusually high intolerance to frustration with ourselves and other people, and suffer low self-esteem as a result. ‘Stomach people’ tend to take a lot on, be responsible for everything and are always ready to help, not afraid to add to their workload. At the same time, they need a lot of support in everything they do.
Physical support for the stomach:
Stop smoking
Start cardio exercise
Get a Visceral Manipulation treatment as stomach responds very well to manual therapy
Nutritional support for the stomach:
Avoid cold foods and drinks and don’t start any meals with cold dishes
Chew your food properly
Avoid sugar, which increases acidity
Avoid fatty foods
Don’t overuse aspirin or anti-inflammation drugs; don’t use them at all if you have an ulcer.
Avoid chocolate and alcohol, especially before going to bed
Avoid lemon, vinegar, oranges, salt, spices and garlic
Psychological support for the stomach
Since ‘stomach people’ are often hyperactive it’s best to exercise to get rid of excess energy
Martial arts might help with impulse control
Tai-chi, yoga and relaxation
Support from family is important in pointing out when ‘stomach people’ are doing too much
Psychotherapy might help with the need for social recognition and focusing on the self
Information for this post taken from Jean-Pierre Barral, ‘Understanding the Messages of the Body. How to Interpret Physical and. Emotional Signals to Achieve Optimal Health’, 2007.
